Satellite Image of the Rock of Gibraltar

Satellite image of the Rock of Gibraltar, colloquially known as “The Rock” is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and sits at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, and is bordered by Spain to the north.

The inside of the rock is an absolute labyrinth with secret internal roads and tunnels four times longer than those on the surface. Military presence and security in this otherwise deserted area is strong but almost invisible.

In Greek mythology Gibraltar was Calpe, one of the Pillars of Hercules, which marked the edge of the Mediterranean and the known world. In 711 Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Muslim governor of Tangier, landed at Gibraltar to launch the Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock took his name – Jabal Tariq (Mountain of Tariq) eventually became Gibraltar.

Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. Spain has made recent attempts to attain this territory that it legally ceded to Great Britain about 300 years ago. In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to stay a territory of the United Kingdom. On June 10th 2004, citizens of Gibraltar voted for the first time in the UK MEP (Member of the European Parliament) elections, as part of the South West constituency.

The topmost part of the Rock is still a British military installation, and off-limits to the public. Read more about the Rock of Gibraltar.